Joe the Plumber Questioned About Statements That Gay People Aren't Allowed Around His Children, Still Thinking "Queer" is a Fine Word

Joe the Plumber won the right to face Marcy Kaptur in the race for the seat in Ohio's 9th district.

Which means it's time to remind everyone that Joe the Plumber isn't down with the gays. He made some remarks years ago that made clear his feelings — "I would never let queers near my children," was the exact quote — and he later added fuel to the fire when asked about gay marriage in a Q&A with Christianity Today.

Summary: you don't understand the dictionary, gays can't be around his kids, queer is totally a fine word to use, honky is a bad word, and yeah, he had some gay friends back in the day. Probably also knew a black guy once.

In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?

At a state level, it's up to them. I don't want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it's wrong. People don't understand the dictionary—it's called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It's not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we're supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we're supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I've had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they're people, and they're going to do their thing.

Honky= bad. Queer = good. Got it, Joe.

This morning on CNN, Joe was asked again about the comments. Via Huffpo:

Sambolin later asked whether he had changed his position on comments he made to Christianity Today in 2009 about gays.

"So this is TMZ, this isn't CNN, is what you're saying?" Wurzelbacher asked Sambolin.

"Of course it’s CNN," she responded. "These are things that you said, that I would like to know if you still stand by them or if you have changed your positions on them."

"No, I want everyone to have a job," he said before she interrupted him to ask about the comments.

"Listen, in my dictionary, and everyone’s dictionary in 1970s, the word queer did mean strange and unusual. There was no slur to it. Do you challenge that?"

The two talked over each other before he said, "You're trying to do a 'gotcha' moment, it's quite obvious."

As the interview drew to a close, he said, "I’m allowed to have my opinions as an American, but it seems the left becomes very intolerant when you have an opinion other than what they state."

"The left and their friends in the main stream media don't want to talk about the issue most Americans in this country today care about — jobs. Instead, they want a culture war. They want a culture war because they cannot defend this President's record of failure when it comes to creating jobs and growing our economy. They hope to cynically distract Americans to protect President Obama and his liberal allies in Congress in November. The bottom line is that whether you are gay or straight, black or white, male or female, conservative or liberal, what matters most in these tough economic times is leadership in Washington that will work to create jobs for all Americans."

Joe added this statement on his own:

"I am not a career politician and I certainly do not speak like one, but I want everyone to know that I believe in treating every American, gay or straight, with decency and respect," he concluded in the statement.